Marine Log - March 2008 - (Page 27)

B Y C A P T A I N A R T H U R H S U L Z E R , U S N ( R E T. ) MARITIMESCHOOLS Students from the Philadelphia Maritime Academy Charter High School OF MARINERS A NEW GENERATION unfortunately conflicts are good for the merchant marine. During World War II, Korea and the Vietnam War there was a large influx of mariners and increased shipping with a small spike in the first Persian Gulf War in 1991. These mariners are gone or are rapidly leaving the industry. They were also primarily deep sea mariners versus brown water or coastal mariners where the shortages are now also developing. C o m p e n s a t i o n The composition of the mariners has not kept pace with and has actually declined in comparison to many industries. As an example, in 1974 a seagoing marine engineer often made 3 times the salary of a shore side engineer. Now, these engineers may earn almost the same pay with a small premium being paid for going to sea of 10-20%. This has started to change particularly in the coastal and brown water fleets where wages have increased significantly in recent years particularly for the unlicensed positions. Where will we find them? Documentation & Renewal R e q u i r e m e n t s The International Standards of Training and Watch Keeping (STCW 95) came into effect in 2000. In addition requirements for drug and alcohol testing, medical standards and the post 9/11 security requirements have all had their affect. No one is arguing that better training, drug and alcohol testing, medical standards and security are not important, they have all placed additional financial and administrative burdens on the mariner. A commonly heard line from mariners is when asked if they are going to renew their documents; “No” they are not because of too much paper work and high costs. M a r i t i m e H e r i t a g e This issue, the least talked about and the most overlooked, is one that can be addressed and corrected through public awareness. The solution: maritime education in our primary and secondary schools. A new generation of mariners needs to be created, if not from immigrants or the MARCH 2008 MARINE LOG 27 T he maritime higher education and professional system in the United States is the finest in the world and enrollment is up at all of the schools. As is the case with so many of our American enterprises, foreign nations have noticed and are copying our system of maritime education and are employing graduates of this system. The success of business ultimately comes down to attracting well trained, conscientious, talented individuals. The maritime industry is no different. In listening to employers from the many different segments of the maritime industry there seems to be a consensus that a workforce shortage is here and is getting worse. The reasons for the shortages are complicated, and defy an easy solution. CURRENT ISSUES AND PROBLEMS WITH MANPOWER A g i n g w o r k f o r c e Historically, the maritime industry has been cyclical; www.marinelog.com http://www.marinelog.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marine Log - March 2008

Marine Log - March 2008 Contents Editorial Second Thoughts Update Inside Washington Navy's Toughest Battle Building Future Fleet Less Fuel, Lower Emissions A New Generation of Mariners Training for the Future LNG Security: Resources Needed Models of Perfection Tech News Newsmakers Contracts Events Infodirect Website Directory ML Marketplace Opinion

Marine Log - March 2008

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